The Hub Outreach Case study - HubESF7

Participant

HubESF7

Name of Employability Provider

The Hub Outreach

Background

This client came to The Hub ESF, having been sent from the Job Centre.

He had been unemployed for years because he had cared for his parents in his thirties. He had never worked – I think he had only done a paper round. So he had no confidence in the workplace.

How it Happend/the process

We worked with this client for a few weeks, and he decided what he wanted to do. Karen Henderson, ESF Employment Support Advisor, helped him to write his CV so he could start looking for jobs. Karen says, “This lady phoned us one day looking for somebody to work as a general handyperson for her bespoke painting and decorating business. I immediately thought of this person and I phoned him.”

After we talked it through with him, he went there and did a trial at first. It was really positive – he got on with everybody and he did brilliantly.

What were the challenges and how did we help?

He was doing very well and they wanted to hire him, but because it’s a small business, money for staff was tight, so we offered our wage incentive (where we pay part of the wage) to support with that.

Outcome and next steps

He is now working there 25 hours a week, running the place. He travels from Blairgowrie every day to Perth. The owner of the company goes out on site, while she is away, she leaves him in charge.

Who can come to The Hub / ESF for support?

Anyone can come to The Hub centre for support into work, and if you face two or more serious barriers to employment, our ESF Employability Pipeline team can give you targeted support.

For example, you might have left school after 4th Year and be keen to work but not know where to start. You might have been made redundant and be struggling to find your place in society again. You might be tackling issues around mental health or be long-term unemployed. Or you might be nearing retirement age and finding that there aren’t as many doors opening to you.

How does our service benefit people? What can it do to help you?

We help you to find out what you’d like to do next. That could be getting back into the same sort of job you’ve had before, or doing something completely new and different. We encourage you to think outside the box and try new opportunities. We have lots of great ideas, and we have good relationships with supportive, welcoming employers.

We help you to believe in yourself and develop your skills and confidence, so that you will feel ready to take the next step.

Karen Henderson, ESF Employment Support Advisor, says: “I like to see people coming in every week, and moving forward, and their confidence is building and they’ve got a real passion for something that we’ve talked about. I’ve said to them, try thinking outside the box, what about this, and they’ve never thought about that before. And if they get a job, that’s fantastic. Or they might go to college, they might want to get back into studying. I like just seeing the change in people.”

Any new projects or developments coming soon?

Karen says: “I’d like to continue my work with homeless people, delivering Employability skills. I’d like to do group sessions for anyone who’s interested, too, so that our clients can meet and share experiences.”

Lesley adds, “We offer Skills Academies in Construction and Hospitality but I’d like to develop them in other areas of work. I’d also like to work more closely with Criminal Justice, to support those with criminal records to move on and find work. We’d also like to go out and target groups of clients and invite them to use the service.”

How can you get Employability support from The Hub?

If you’re looking to move into work, volunteering or training, the easiest way is to pop in and visit us, at 31-33 South Street, or call 01738 459609. We are open from 9.30am to 4.30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (9.30am – 12.30pm on Wednesdays). You can just pop in – you don’t need an appointment.

We’ll have an initial chat to find out what you need support with and how we can work together.

If you’re an employer who’d like to work with us or find out more about our Skills Academies, Wage Incentive scheme or Job Match service, please call 01738 459609 or email thehub@pkc.gov.uk.